Meet the Candidates

December 8, 2016

The ballots have all been mailed out. If you haven’t received yours already, you will be receiving it soon. Please take the time to fill it out and mail it back. There’s only one office that’s being contested this year…Treasurer.

Last year, we only had one candidate for each opening, so there was no need to send out ballots. We saved the money we would have spent on stamps and everything else and used it elsewhere. This year we have a choice to make.

Be sure to get your ballot in the mail so we’ll have it by December 31st.

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Candidate for Assistant Regional Executive

Duties (per NCR Bylaws):

“In the absence of the Regional Executive, the duties of that office shall be assumed by the Assistant Regional Executive…” The Assistant RE also serves as Chairman of the Competition Board which has the duty to “1) oversee the operation and conduct of all competitive events sponsored by the organization, in accordance with established SCCA rules and procedures; 2) enforce the rules and regulations of such events.”

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Mike Spencer

First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read candidate bios! Knowledgeable members voting for their Board of Directors leads to a better Board, to better race weekends, and to a better North Carolina Region.

My name is Mike Spencer, and I am your Assistant Regional Executive. As the name implies, this role assists the Regional Executive. However, there is another very important responsibility. The Assistant RE also runs the Competition Board, which is made up of all the various specialty chiefs. The Comp Board meets at different times during the year to plan for upcoming NC Region race and to discuss events shortly after they are run. The lessons we learned from 2016 and earlier are used to make the 2017 events even better.

I first joined SCCA in the early 80s and participated in AutoCross for several years. Once my kids came along, my wife and I agreed that my hobby would get shelved “for the time being”.

The re-opening of VIR in 2000 and the timely encouragement of a good friend convinced me to get involved again. Since I only had AutoCross experience at that time, I started as a Flagger. Not too long after that I obtained my Competition License. Since then I have also worked on Grid, Pit Road, and driven the Safety Car. My family is involved, too. My daughter, Ericka, has been a Safety Car Communicator since (I believe) the first 13-hour race. She also has experience in the Start stand. My son, Paul, was at that first 8-hour endurance race that became the 13-hour “Charge of the Headlight Brigade” the following year. He has been crewing for me and got his Competition license in 2015.

I believe that someone who regularly “plays on both sides of the Armco” is in an excellent position to address issues from both a driver’s perspective and a worker’s perspective. All of us in NC Region are very fortunate to have such a wonderful playground in VIR. I will do everything I can to ensure that our race weekends continue to be safe and fun activities for everyone involved!

In this post, you may click on any of the candidates’ names as links to our email addresses. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have or offer any suggestions.

Enjoy the off-season. I hope to see you at the track in 2017!

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Candidates for Treasurer

Duties (per NCR Bylaws):

“The Treasurer shall, subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be made by the Board of Directors, have custody of all monies, debts, and obligations belonging to the organization. The Treasurer shall receive all monies and deposit same to the North Carolina Region, SCCA, Inc. account. The Treasurer, and the Regional Executive, shall have control over and supervision of all payment of true debts and obligations, and shall maintain such records as are in accordance with accepted accounting procedure. The Treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the organization, and will perform the duties of the office in the manner described in the Operations Manual.”

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Steve Keadle

  • Joined SCCA in 2003 and worked F&C.
  • Accepted into SIT program in 2005.
  • Completed training and promoted to Divisional Chief Steward 2007.
  • When new Steward grades were established in 2008, promoted to National Steward.
  • Awarded NCR’s E. Gordon Warren Steward of the Year in 2008.
  • Volunteered to procure NCR worker gifts 2009 to present.
  • Current Regional licenses in F&C, Grid and Registration.
  • Current Divisional licenses as Time Trial Chief & Safety Steward and Course Inspector.
  • NCR Treasurer and Board member 2009 to present.
  • 2nd place 2012 NCR Solo Novice Class.
  • Speaker at 2014 & 2015 SCCA National conventions in Charlotte, NC.
  • 29 years as a Tax Accountant.

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Heather Powers

Hello to my fellow NC Region members!

My name is Heather Powers and I am running for Treasurer on your Board of Directors. If elected, I promise to work with our Event Administrators and Specialty Chiefs to look for opportunities to save money and to develop a budget to help us stay aligned with our financial goals. I will work with our Solo Group so that we can develop additional reporting and communication to allow us to share more information between the BOD and the Solo Team. They are running a great program and I would like to provide the BOD with better visibility to that.

If you would like to keep up with what is going on “behind the scenes” in the Region, you can view the Board Meeting minutes here. Additionally, if you have any questions for me or want to share your ideas about the Treasurer position or as your Driver Representative on the Competition Board, please feel free to contact me at 336-707-1344 or hpowers15@yahoo.com.

  • Member of BOD for 20 out of 26 years as a SCCA member
    • Member at Large
    • Assistant RE
  • Driver Representative on Competition Board for 5+ years
  • Volunteered in almost all Specialties
  • Been a member of the Annual Awards Committee
    • Worked with Trophy supplier to select the trophies to give out
    • Created and designed the Crew Member Award
  • I have received several Outstanding Service awards, a Worker of the Year, and a Member of the Year
  • I have held a completion license for 25 years.
    • I got my start in Solo Racing
    • I have raced in many classes including various IT classes, SM, FP, and STO
    • Instructor for PDX
    • Instructor for Club Racing Driver Schools
    • Won a Tarheel Cup Championship
    • In 2015 finished 2nd in IT7 in SARRC

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Candidates for Member-at-Large

Duties (per NCR Bylaws):

“The Members-at-Large are responsible for providing additional input for decision-making, and will endeavor to represent all viewpoints of the membership at meetings of the Board of Directors.”

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Blair Deffenbaugh

Hi, my name is Blair Deffenbaugh. At 25 years old I am a 25 year member of SCCA. I have been active in the club from the time I could walk and talk. I started out in timing and scoring, gaining a divisional license with eligibility for a national license. As soon as I reached the age, I went out and started corner working and not long after that I earned my competition license. I remain active in timing, on the corner and on the track.

Having been an active member for so long I know and am very close to the club and its problems. The key to the club’s success is having active participants on the board. In the last year we have had more club participants on the board than ever before and we have worked better than ever before. Volunteers know what volunteers want and drivers know what drivers want. I have served one term as Member-at-Large and look forward to serving again.

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Anna Crissman

Hello, my name is Anna Crissman, on record I have been a member of North Carolina Region since 2001. I have been involved in SCCA or some form of racing since I was a young child.  Once VIR reopened in 2000, I became reengaged with SCCA and became very involved in Timing and Scoring. As a worker and the Area 12 DA of Timing and Scoring I understand that there are many intricacies that you experience behind the scenes that are hard to understand if you don’t get involved. I also have crewed and been involved with helping drivers in various capacities. There are many things that impact the drivers experience within our organization that many people who volunteer may not be aware of.

I feel like I can see both sides of the equation and am willing to help make our events and Club terrific for all involved.Often we develop an “us vs. them” mentality because we haven’t experienced an event from the other side of the track. We need to do everything we can to make it so that all groups feel represented and engaged in our process.

I want to be involved in streamlining our procedures to make them more user friendly. I also want to be involved in upgrading our technology where possible and broadening our training so that we can be even better than we have ever been. I enjoy the friendships and families that I have made at the racetrack, they keep me laughing/giggling most of the time. Racing should be fun for everyone!

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